Package-handling apparatus.



W. E. NIGKERSON, PACKAGE HANDLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28. 1902,

Patented Mar.7,1911.

3 QEBETS-SEEET l.

WITPJ W. E. NIGKERSON. PACKAGE HANDLING APPARATUS.

APPLLOATION FILED JUNE 26, 19021 Patented Mar. 7, 1911.

3 SHBETSSHEET 2.

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vW. E. NIGKERSON. PACKAGE HANDLING APPARATUS.

7 APPLICATION IILED'JIINB 28, 19021 Patented Mar. 7, 1911.

3 8HEETSSHEET 3.

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THE NORRIS PETERS 120.. WASHINGTON, v c.

WILLIAM EMERY NICKERSON, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 AUTO- MATIC WEIGHING MACHINE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PACKAGE-HANDLING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1911.

Application filed June 28, 1902. Serial No. 113,558.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. Nionnnson, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Package-Handling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is intended to provide an ap paratus which may be used in connection with package filling machines, and will facilitate the handling of the receptacles which are filled by such machines, my object being more particularly to provide for the handling of paper bags and similar receptacles in such manner that the only work necessary to be performed by the attendant will consist in placing the empty bags or other receptacles beneath a delivery spout in position to receive their respective charges, whereupon the subsequent filling, handling and removal of the packages will be performed automatically. To this end I provide a vertically movable package support which is normally located in posit-ion to support an empty receptacle beneath a spout which delivers the successive charges of material, and is counterbalanced in such manner that the weight of a filled package resting upon it will cause it to descend. As said support is thus caused to descend by the weight of a filled package, said package is automatically removed from the support and deposited on a conveyor or otherwise disposed of, whereupon the package support s restored by its counterbalance to the position in which it receives another empty reeeptacle.

My invention also includes an arrange; ment whereby collapsible or non-rigid receptacles such as paper bags and the like may be readily distended when placed 1n position to receive a charge of material, and suitably supported while being filled therewith. 0

An apparatus embodying my invention in its preferred form is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the complete apparatus, showing the position of its parts when the attendant is starting to place an empty receptacle in position to receive a charge, Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the parts at a later stage of the operation, and Fig. 3 is a side elevatlon of the parts in the position which they assume at the instant of delivering a filled package.

In the drawings, A represents the lower end of a chute leading from a weighing or measuring machine of any desired construction suited for delivering successive loads or charges of material of definite amount. The lower end of the part A is provided with a spout A having an open lower end, and of such size and shape as to be capable of entering and fitting loosely the bags which are to receive the material weighed or measured.

P represents the package support, which is made capable of movement in a vertical planepreferably by being suspended from an arm P pivoted as at P to a stationary frame work P Said arm P is provided with a counterweight P the gravitational effect of which is such that it will be slightly overbalauced when a filled package rests on the support P, but will overbalance said support and its movable connections at all other times. This counterweight P is preferably made adjustable on the arm P. in order to adapt the apparatus to the handling of different weights of material. For removing the filled packages from said support P as the latter is thereby caused to descend, I provide preferablv an upright guide R, the upper end of which is located adjacent to the spout A and thus provides a lateral support for the packages while being filled, while its lower end is so located that when the package support P descends. the filled package as it slides down the guide R will be forced laterally thereby off said support and onto asuitable receiving device, which is herein represented as a conveying belt S by means of which the filled packages are removed to any desired point.

The package support P is kept horizontal in all positions by means such as a link 1? pivoted at P to the framework P and having a length equal to that of the arm P between the pivots P and P. the link P which carries the support P being pivoted to the link P at P and thus completing a parallelogram whereby said link P is kept parallel with the lower end of the framework P in an obvious manner.

The guide R is herein shown as provided with a number of vertical slots, the package support P being composed of a corresponding number of fingers which pass loosely through said slots, and the withdrawal of said fingers from beneath a filled package and through the slots in the guide It as said support P descends may be accomplished in part by bending the lower portion of said guide R away from the framework P and in part by so locating the pivots P and P that when the package support P is in its uppermost position, the arm P and link P will be horizontal or substantially so, whence it will result that as said package support descends, it will simultaneously retreat from the guide R. The framework P is intended to be secured at its upper end to some convenient part of the machine which delivers the material, or to some fixedsupport.

In order that the package support P, by rising immediately to its uppermost position after delivering a filled package, may not interfere with the placing of the succeeding empty receptacle in position beneath the spout A I prefer to provide an arrangement whereby said upward movement of the support P is arrested when partly accomplished. To this end I employ an arm P pivoted at P of the framework P and carrying a downwardly extending notched portion P which forms a latch adapted to engage a pin P secured to the arm P and arrest the upward movement of said latter arm. The arm P is provided with latch releasing means such as fingers P which embrace the sides of the spout A and may also carry, if desired, a counterweight P which is not quite heavy enough, unassisted, to release said latch.

As thus constructed, the operation of my apparatus is as follows: As soon as a filled package has been delivered to the conveying belt S, the parts being then in the position shown in'Fig. 3, the counterweight P lifts the package support P until the position shown in Fig. 1 is reached, in which position the pin P is engaged by the under-cut notch in the arm P and the upward movement of said support P is thereby arrested. The operator now slips the open end of a paper bag or other receptacle over the lower end of the spout A and in the case of a paper bag draws it upward over said spout until the bag is distended, as shown in Fig. 2. The end of this operation causes the hands of the operator to strike against the fingers P and thus raise the arm P thereby disengaging the latch P from the pin P whereupon the counterweight P raises the package support P into its uppermost position, where it is arrested by means such as an adjustable stop pin P carried by a projection P secured to the frame work P The bag or other receptacle is then dropped upon the support P, and is ready to receive a charge of material through the chute A and spout A As soon as this charge has been delivered, the weight of the filled package causes the support P to descend, carrying said package with it, and simultaneously with such descension said support is withdrawn from under the package, which is guided and kept vertical by the guide R acting in conjunction with a second guide It located on the opposite side of the belt S. The filled package is thus deposited on said belt and is conveyed away thereby, whereupon the support is again raised into the position shown in Fig. 1 as previously de scribed. The stop pin P may be so adjusted that after a bag has been distended by drawing it over the spout A and the support P has risen to its uppermost position, the lower portion of said spout will remain within the bag while the latter is resting on said support and will thus serve as a form to keep the bag distended while it is being filled. In this case, if the bag is filled nearly full, the last portions of the charge will remain within the lower part of the spout A until the support P descends, whereupon said portions will fall into the bag as it drops away from said spout. Thus by means of my apparatus, paper and other bags, as well as more rigid receptacles, may be supported while being filled, and delivered automatically without requiring any attendance beyond that involved in properly locating the empty receptacles with respect to the spout A I claim as my invention:

1. In a package handling apparatus, the combination with a delivery spout and a conveyer located below the same, of a package support movable upward and clownward beneath the delivery spout, means for holding said support with an unfilled receptacle thereon beneath the spout, and means for automatically transferring the filled receptacle from the support to the eonveyer upon the descent of said support.

2. In a package handling apparatus, the combination with a delivery spoutadapted to enter loosely into a collapsible receptacle and hold the same distended, of a package support adapted to move upward and clownward beneath the discharge end of said spout, means for holding said package support in position to support the bottom of the receptacle while the latter is held distended by the spout, a conveyer located below said spout, and means for automatically transferring the filled receptacle to the conveyer upon the descent of the package support.

3. In a package handling apparatus, the combination with a delivery spout of a package support mounted to have an up and down movement beneaththe spout, means normally holding said support in elevated position and arranged to permit a downward movement thereof under the weight of the filled package, and an upright guide intersecting the path of downward movement of said support and arranged to remove the filled package therefrom when the support descends.

4. In a package handling apparatus, the combination with a delivery spout adapted to fit loosely within a collapsible receptacle and hold the same distended, of a package support having an up and down movement relatively to said spout and normally held beneath said spout in position to support the bottom of a receptacle, and means for automatically removing a filled receptacle from said support when the latter descends.

5. In a package handling apparatus, the combination of a pivoted arm carrying a package support at one end and a counterbalance at its other end, an upright guide intersecting the path of said support and arranged to push a filled package from said support as the latter descends, and means for holding said package in an upright position while being removed from said support.

6. In a package handling apparatus, the combination of a pivoted arm carrying a package support at one end and a counterbalance at its other end, said package support being composed of parallel fingers, an upright slotted guide through which the fingers of said support pass during a portion of its travel, and a cooperating guide located opposite the lower portion of said upright guide. for the purpose set forth.

7. In a package handling apparatus, the combination with a delivery spout of a package support having an up and down movement beneath said spout and arranged to be,

forced downward by the weight of a filled package, and a latch for arresting the upward movement of said support when in an intermediate position.

8. In a package handling apparatus, the combination with a delivery spout of a package support having an up and down move ment beneath said spout and arranged to be forced downward by the weight of a filled package, a latch arranged to arrest the upward movement of said support in an intermediate position thereof, and latch-operating fingers located. adjacent to said delivery spout.

9. In a package handling apparatus, the combination with a delivery spout of a counterbalanced package support having an up and down movement beneath said spout and arranged to be forced downward by the weight of a filled package, means for remov ing the filled package from said support when the latter descends, and a latch arranged to arrest the upward movement of said support in an intermediate position thereof.

10. In a package handling apparatus, the

combination with a delivery spout of a fixed upright guide located adjacent to said spout and provided with vertical slots, a cooperating guide opposite the lower portion of said fixed guide, and a pivoted arm provided with a counterbalance and carrying a package support composed of parallel fingers adapted to project through the slots of said fixed guide, said pivoted arm being substantially horizontal when the'packagc support is in its uppermost position.

11. In a package handling apparatus, the combination of a pivoted arm carrying a package support at one end and counterbalanced at its other end, said package support being composed of parallel fingers, and an upright slotted guide through which the fingers of said support pass during the upper portion only of its travel, for the purpose set forth.

12. In a package handling apparatus, the combination with a delivery spout adapted to fit loosely within a collapsible receptacle and hold the same distended, of a package support having an up-anddown movement and normally located beneath said spout in position to support the bottom of said receptacle, said package support being composed of parallel fingers, and an upright slotted guide through which the fingers of said support pass during the upper portion of the travel of the latter.

13. In a package handling apparatus, the combination with a delivery spout adapted to fit loosely within a collapsible receptacle and hold the same distended, of a package support having an up-and-down movement and normally located beneath said spout in position to support the bottom of said receptacle, said package support being composed of parallel fingers, an upright slotted guide through which the fingers of said support pass during the upper portion of the travel of the latter, and a cooperating guide located opposite the lower portion of said upright guide, substantially as described.

141. In a package handling apparatus, the combination with a delivery spout adapted to fit loosely within a collapsible receptacle and hold the same distended, of a counterbalanced package support having an upand-down movement and normally located beneath said spout in position to support the bottom of said receptacle, said package support being composed of parallel fingers, an upright slotted guide through which the fingers of said support pass during the; upper portion of the travel of the latter, and a latch arranged to arrest the upward movement of said support in an intermediate position thereof.

15. In a package handling apparatus, the combination with a delivery spout adapted to fit loosely within a collapsible receptacle and hold the same distended, of a counterbalanced package support having an up- 1 thereof, and latch operating means located and-down movement and normally located adjacent to said delivery spout.

beneath said spout in position to support the In testimony whereof, I have hereunto b tt f id receptacle, said package supsubscrlbed my name this nlnth day of June,

port being composed of parallel fingers, an I 902- upright slotted guide through Which the fin- I gerspf said support pass during the upper WILLIAM EMERY NIGKERSON' portion of the travel of the latter, a latch arlVitnesses:

E. D. CHADWICK,

ranged to arrest the upward movement of i JOSEPH T. BRENNAN.

said support inan intermediate position Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Paten Washington, D. C. 

